


yesterday is a mystery, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is

by aanau



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, Movie AU, One-Shot, Steven Universe: The Movie, based on taikovas art, hes such a ham, i gotta say season 1 steven is FUN to write, me: am i making steven too annoying?, me: hmmm maybe not annoying enough....., might play around with the concept more but not gonna rewrite the whole movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22268788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aanau/pseuds/aanau
Summary: Spinel's rejuvenator worked a little differently, and Steven is reverted back to his twelve-year-old self.Oh good I love amnesia fics.
Comments: 31
Kudos: 195





	yesterday is a mystery, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lotta fun getting into the head of season 1 steven, who has a lot of fun quirks that have settled down as he matured. This was inspired by taikova's art on tumblr: https://taikova.tumblr.com/post/190232941853/some-sketches-i-never-posted-here-but-are-on
> 
> I don't plan on rewriting the whole movie because rewriting things that have already been written/shown is exhausting to me. So, here's just a little bit.

What a weird feeling. 

He doesn’t remember what he had for breakfast.

He doesn’t remember waking up this morning at all.

Or what happened yesterday.

Or how he got here. 

A pink girl, (must be another gem!) laughs in his face. She waves her hand in front of his eyes like he musta zoned out? 

Steven scratched his head and wondered if he should be laughing too. He didn’t know what was so funny, but he didn’t wanna seem dumb for not getting it, so he laughed nervously. 

That just made the pink gem laugh harder. Oh boy, she wasn’t laughing at him, was she? He hated that feeling. It felt so different (in a bad way!) from when people laughed with him.

His cheeks warmed with embarrassment, but over what? What did he do now? What did he screw up? Dd he do something stupid?

He brushed it off like he always did and plastered on a grin, letting his enthusiasm override his unease, “Uh, hi! I’m Steven!”

She howled with laughter. 

Steven chuckled, “Yeah, I guess my name can be pretty funny…?” He trailed off, wondering why it would be. He thought Steven was a pretty good name. Not as cool as Stephen, but no one knew he wasn’t that kind of Stephen just from him saying out loud. 

The pink gem tapped a gloved finger on his forehead through her fit, “Not much going on up there, huh? I figured ya wouldn’t poof, but I knew the rejuvenator would have some sorta effect. But this is better than,” she laughed through her words, “I could’ve ever imagined.”

Steven blinked, “Reju-rejuvi-what-now?”

“What’s the last thing ya remember, anyway?” She hummed.

Steven thought. He wasn’t sure. It was all pretty vague.

Now he was scared. He felt his eyes well up.

“I-I dunno. I—who are you? Where are the gems?” He whined.

The gem acted as if she were trying hard to remember. Then she turned around and walked away.

“Wait! Where are you—“ Steven stood up and was cut off by the strange feeling in his body. He felt bigger. Taller. Where’d he get these cool clothes?

For a second he forgot his distress and stars gleamed in his eyes as he admired his jacket. What a pretty color! And it had pockets! And it was his! And—

Cut off again, the pink gem kicked something to him with a few clinks. He gasped at the four familiar stones at his feet.

He bent down and analyzed them and he knew them! But where were the rest of them?! This couldn’t be good! 

“Pearl? Amethyst? G-garnet?”

The pink gem tsked, “Looks like your friends are outta commission for a lil while.”

“What do you mean?” 

The pink gem looked confused, before realizing something, “Oh silly me! I guess ya don’t know this but those are your friends, silly! They retreated into their gems. Probably to get away from you,” she sneered.

“B-but—“

“Eh, you’ll get over it. They’ll be back soon good as new,” she snickered, “Then ya can spend what little time you have left all together.”

“What do you mean!” Steven stood again, the gems piled in his arms and voice as threatening as he could make it (which was evidently pretty threatening, since he even shocked himself with how deep it sounded).

She pointed and he turned around. 

He stared up at the giant pink thingy. He heard a rubber band snap behind him and then he saw the pink gem hurtling to the top of the machine. 

He ran forward, “Wait! Wait don’t leave! I need you to tell me what’s going on!”

She was gone. Out of view and out of earshot. And Steven started to cry. 

—

His house was different and it added to the list of things that he didn’t understand. He looked at his reflection in the bathroom where he went to dry his tears and his first thought was,

“Did I wake up in the future?” 

He gawked at his reflection. 

“Do you have any answers for me, future me? What wisdom do you hold? What experiences are hidden behind those old man eyes?” 

Dissatisfied with the conversation, he whipped out his phone (it was a new one he had to figure out) and called his dad.

When it took a bit too long for him to pick up, he gasped at the possibility that he was dead! For all Steven knew, he could be fifty years in the future! 

But wait. He still had his hair. He couldn’t be that old. Dad said to expect balding somewhere in his thirties. He was maybe ten years in the future, tops. Did he have a car? Did he have a flying car? Was he an established pilot-slash-movie maker and billionaire? Is that why his house was so much bigger and cooler?

“Hello?” His dad’s voice snapped him out of his musings.

“Daaaaaaad!” 

“Oof, buddy, I can hear you just fine, you don’t need to yell.”

“Dad something weird is happening! I think a time travelling professor is involved! And a mean pink gem! I need your help!”

“Steven what are you talking about? I’m headed over now. Just start from the beginning.”

“That’s the problem! I don’t know! There’s no beginning, only the confusing middle of walking into a movie halfway through! I don’t know anything!” Steven dramatically fell to his knees and held a fist to the sky.

“Hey, hey it’ll be okay.” His dad hesitated, “I’m on my way. You can explain it when I get there.” 

“Okay! Please hurry! I’m scared,” he whispered desperately, a sharp contrast to the hammy performance he was just giving.

His dad took a long pause, “Steven, are you high?” 

“No, I just came down from the lighthouse!” 

“Right...Well I’m almost there.” 

—

Greg was greeted with the biggest hug he had gotten in years, and it nearly knocked him over. He thought Steven had finally realized he was too big to be running into his arms like that.

“Ho boy! Steven! Are you okay?”

Steven sniffled. Ho boy was right. Steven hadn’t cried in front of him in years, either. 

He grabbed his son’s shoulders and turned him to face him.

“What happened?”

“I dunno! I can’t remember! I can’t remember this morning, or yesterday, or last week! I just woke up and this mean pink gem was laughing at me and-and,” he walked over to the coffee table and pointed to the pile of gems Greg only now took notice of, “she said that Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl left me! But I dunno what I did wrong!”

Greg opened his mouth, but Steven kept going. His arms spread out and gestured to the room around him,  
“Everything is different! And I’m taller and like, thirty years old! I think I got sent to the future!” He gasped and partially covered his mouth. “Or I’ve been awakened from a coma! Has my wife moved on without me?!”

Greg held up his hands and latched onto the easiest thing to tackle, “Slow down, Schtuball. You’re not married! You’re too young for that, only sixteen. And you weren’t in a coma.”

Greg’s eyes widened, now processing the rest of what he said, “But, uh…how old do you think you are?”

Steven truthfully didn’t even know that much, everything was blurry, but he made an estimate, “I dunno. Twelve? Thirteen?” 

Greg clutched his chest, “Alright! Time to sit!”

He took a breath and looked into his son’s eyes, blown wide and apprehensive. They definitely felt different from the Steven who was helping to manage a gem empire. Who had saved the galaxy and was (unrealistically) looking forward to retirement at the ripe age of sixteen. 

“So...this pink gem. Is she behind that big machine on the cliffs?”

“I think so.”

“Okay. And did she poof the gems?”

“Poof?”

“Aw geez. Did she...make the gems retreat into their...gems?” 

“Uh, she said they did it to get away from me.”

Greg’s heart twisted a bit, “I think she just said that to hurt your feelings, bud.”

Steven’s eyes lit up and a weight disappeared from his shoulders. Greg assumed based on his reaction that he had been trying not to feel offended by the prospect, but now that it turned out to be untrue, he was relieved.

“Oh! Then it’s not my fault?” 

Greg shook his head, “Sounds like this pink gem is at fault here. Did she...do something to you?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Uh, okay…then what about—”

“Wait!” Steven yelled.

Greg cringed, “I’m right here.”

“She said something about the effects of a re-rejuvee-vinator on me.” 

“Rejuvenator?” Greg guessed.

Steven snapped, “That’s it!”

“Well, I don’t know what that is, but maybe the gems will know. We just gotta wait for them to reform. They’ll pop out any minute now!”

Greg reached down to hold Pearl, and just as his fingers connected, she started to glow.

“See? Good ole Pearl!”

The gem encased itself in a holographic clam shell. An ethereal voice echoed through the room. It sounded like Pearl, but overly friendly (something Pearl was not).

“Greetings. Please identify yourself.”

Greg shrugged, “Um...Greg Universe.”

“Greetings, Umgreg Universe. Select customization options.”

Greg hesitated. 

Steven stood up with hands waving frantically, “Pearl! I want Pearl back!” 

Greg nodded, “Yeah, uh, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here.”

The voice responded, “Default settings selected.”

The clam floated away and closer to the ground and opened. Light flowed from it and formed Pearl, but definitely not the good ole Pearl Greg was expecting.

This Pearl had slightly longer hair, and a cutesy ballerina-like dress. When she opened her eyes, they lacked the intelligence and spirit he had come to appreciate. 

Steven ran to her for a hug, but she breezed right past him with an empty smile and took a bow in front of Greg.

Steven’s eyebrows furrowed.

“How do you do, my Umgreg Universe?” Pearl sang. She took one of his hands in hers, “Thank you for bringing me into the world. I am at your eternal service. Welcome to your new Pearl!” She looked up with that empty smile again and Greg made a pained noise.

“Aw jeez is her gem cracked or something?” 

Steven appeared at Greg’s side and they both leaned in to get a better look. 

“Pearl, I need your help!” Steven pleaded when they saw nothing wrong.

Pearl ignored him.

Another flash of light and a stocky red gem appeared.

“Who are you?!” Steven asked with starry eyes. 

The red gem growled, “Who are you?!” she returned, “You’re not my assignment!”

“Uh, that’s Ruby. She’s half of Garnet.” Greg scratched at his head. She should know Steven. 

“Half of Garnet?!”

“Yeah, kiddo, Garnet is a fusion.”

Steven’s stars got bigger.

Sapphire was up next and Steven looked like he might explode.

“What about you?” He asked.

Ruby saluted the new blue gem beside her, “My Sapphire, as my sworn duty and sole purpose, I will protect you with my life!”

Greg watched Steven look on with amazement, his hands cupping his cheeks. It was actually cute to see him so excited like when he was little. Until it was sad again, that is.

“Ruby! Sapphire! Do you two make Garnet? Is that why she has two gemstones? Where is she? I miss her! I need her help!” 

Greg winced when the two gems brushed past him and Amethyst started to glow. Steven’s starry eyes were turning into desperation.

“Amethyst! Oh your hair! I like it!”

Amethyst had a similar blank stare to Pearl, and in addition, she repeated Steven’s words and hand gestures back to him. 

“Hey stop copying me,” Steven crossed his arms.

Amethyst did not stop. Steven crumpled into himself more and turned to Greg. 

“Okay, I give. This is too much. What’s going on?”

“I…don’t know, pal, but…I think that Rejuvenator thing affected them like it affected you.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I think—“ Greg flinched as Pearl dusted off his shirt, “I uh, I think they lost their memories. And I think that’s what happened to you.”

This poor kid was going through such a rollercoaster.

“They don’t know me?” He squeaked. “But I know them! Why can’t they remember me?!” 

“Maybe because they’re gems. And you’re half gem. We’ll have to see if any of the other gems know anything.”

“There are more gems?! How many more bombshells are gonna be dropped on me today?!” 

“Hopefully not too many more.”

Greg pulled his son into a side hug. He sulked, an overwhelming mix of frustration, information overload, excitement, and hurt. This poor kid has no idea what he was missing.

**Author's Note:**

> Greg is way more proactive/smarter here because a) I always wish he'd be more proactive and b) he's the only one with his head screwed on right at the moment and that'll force anyone to think rationally, especially a parent with their panicking kid.
> 
> also im disappointed that i did not include an ocarina of time reference, since steven plays zelda and would absolutely wonder if he pulled the master sword and was sent to the future to fight ganondorf


End file.
